Set on the Baltic island of Oland this is a
tale of secrets long held that have disastrous effects on many as they come to
light. The central characters are the Kloss family who are the most prominent
islanders, running a large resort; a retired sailor Gerlof Davidsson; and a man
who left Oland in the 1930s as a young boy. The ‘homecomer’, as he is known, spent decades
in Russia, living a brutal and desperate existence. His return to the island is
the catalyst for the truth coming to light about the Kloss family; a truth that
has this man determined to exact revenge.
Johan Theorin weaves intricate plots that
seem to unfold slowly yet build to a devastating crescendo. Each of his titles
are self-contained but this is the fourth in a quartet featuring the island of
Oland, a place very familiar to Theorin.
The Voices Beyond title signifies those who
can be heard down the years through the oral history of a community. It also,
in my opinion, refers to the reach of people long gone from this life. Theorin
manages to create intricate plots with original characterisations and a sense
of the supernatural without in any way testing the credibility of his
narrative. He is one of my favourite authors and never fails to impress.
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